The Meaning Inside the Clothes, for TAUKO Magazine

An interview with Kunthear Mov, Production Manager & Technical Designer
Translated from Khmer by Vanna Sann, Managing Director

What are you wearing most at the moment, and why?

Most days, I wear clothes that are comfortable for work. I like a simple T-shirt and loose pants because I move a lot in the workshop. I sit, stand, check patterns, look at seams, and work with my hands. If the clothes are too tight or difficult, I do not feel free.

For me, good clothes are not only about looking beautiful. They should help your body feel comfortable. When I wear something easy, I feel calm and ready to work. Maybe because I make clothes every day, I notice very small things: if the shoulder is pulling, if the fabric is too hot, if the waistband is not right. I think comfort gives confidence.

Where did you learn to make clothes?

I learned by working. In Cambodia, many people learn this profession through practice. At first, you may learn one small part. Then slowly you understand more: how to cut, how to sew, how to measure, how to check, how to fix a problem.

When I was younger, I thought sewing was mostly about using the machine. Later I understood that making clothes is about thinking. You must understand the fabric, the pattern, the body, and the person who will wear it. You also have to understand the team. A garment passes through many hands, so each person’s work affects the next person.

What do you notice first when you look at a garment?

I notice the fabric first. I touch it and see how it behaves. Is it soft? Does it stretch? Does it move? Will it be easy to cut? Will it twist after sewing? Some fabrics look simple, but they are not simple to work with.

Then I notice the finishing. I look at the seams, the collar, the hem, the balance of the garment. A good garment does not need to shout. Sometimes the best work is quiet. The customer may not know why it feels good, but the maker knows how much attention is inside.

What do clothes and making clothes mean to you?

Clothes are very close to us. They touch the body every day. They can make a person feel comfortable, shy, proud, serious, relaxed, or beautiful. When I make clothes, I think about that. I do not only think, “This is one more piece to finish.” I think, “Someone will live in this.”

Making clothes has also become part of who I am. It taught me patience. It taught me to look carefully. It taught me that small details matter. If something is wrong, the garment tells the truth. You cannot hide it. You have to fix it or learn from it.

How does making clothes affect how you feel about yourself?

It gives me pride because I know this is a real skill. Sometimes people see clothing as something simple or cheap, but when you make it, you understand the knowledge inside. You understand how many decisions are needed before one shirt is finished.

I also feel responsibility. If I guide the team, I must be careful. If I say something is okay, it should really be okay. If someone is learning, I must help them understand, not only tell them they made a mistake. In a small team, we grow together.

The theme of this issue is Re-Design. How does that connect to your work?

At Dorsu, many fabrics are limited. Some are deadstock or leftover fabrics from bigger production. This means we cannot always work like a large factory, where everything is planned with endless fabric. We have to look at what exists and ask: What can this become?

For me, that is also redesign. It is not only changing an old garment into a new garment. It is changing the way we think about material. A fabric that another place does not use can still have value. But we must respect it. We must choose the right design, the right pattern, the right quantity. We cannot waste it because sometimes there is no more.

Redesign is also about people. A person can learn new skills. A team can improve. A small workshop can show another way to make clothes.

What is different about working with a small team in Kampot?

In a small team, everyone can see the whole process more clearly. We are not only one person doing one action again and again without understanding the rest. We talk to each other. We solve problems together. If the fabric is difficult, we discuss. If the fit is not right, we adjust. If something must be improved, we learn.

Kampot also gives the work a human rhythm. We know each other’s lives. We eat together, talk together, and notice when someone is tired or improving. The workshop is not only machines. It is people.

What do you wish people understood about the people who make their clothes?

I wish people understood that clothes carry many hands. When you buy a garment, you may see the brand, the color, and the price. But inside the garment there are people who cut it, sewed it, checked it, pressed it, folded it, and cared about whether it was good.

Sometimes makers are invisible. But we are there. We are in the seam, the stitch, the shape, the way the fabric sits on the body.

For me, making clothes by hand with a small team means attention. It means using what already exists carefully. It means respecting the fabric, the maker, and the person who will wear it. When someone wears something we made in Kampot, they carry a little part of our work with them. That makes me happy.